One of our chickens is dead

[isabel]

I'm sad. And H is sad and he thinks the other birds killed her. Now this whole romantic illusion of having chickens is shattered. This sucks.

[TrickyBob]

in coop or out of?

[isabel]

Aug 27, 2015 20:43:03 GMT -5 TrickyBob said:

in coop or out of?

Out. Any theories?

H said there was a broken egg in the coop. I had some boards leaning up against the fence to give them some shade. H's theory is that there was a turf war over the nesting boxes and she ran back and got cornered. Her neck was pecked at.

[TrickyBob]

How was she killed, as in, any visible marks? Or arts eaten/others left behind?

I am sorry. I majorly love my chickens and when something happens, it is always sad.

[isabel]

Aug 27, 2015 20:49:36 GMT -5 TrickyBob said:

How was she killed, as in, any visible marks? Or arts eaten/others left behind?

I am sorry. I majorly love my chickens and when something happens, it is always sad.

Both, I think. I didn't actually see her, but H said that was the only area of damage. There were lots of bugs on her though. Whatever happened, it happened today some time. He went out this morning to give them water and they were all fine.

eta: Theories for how she was killed. I suppose the other two doing it is the only real explanation as they both seem perfectly fine.

[isabel]

Aug 27, 2015 20:45:59 GMT -5 mofongo said:

No:( I love your chickens
I'm really sorry.

Thanks, mo. RIP Ruth.

[imojoebunny]

Cannibale chickens. It is not an uncommon thing. Sorry you had to cope with the sad aftermath.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalism_in_poultry

[Monica Geller]

I'm sorry.

[TrickyBob]

Yah. I would wager they did it.
Chickens are exceedingly attracted to blood and if one gets a wound, chickens will peck it to death.

She could have also been the lowest of the pecking order as well.

[isabel]

Aug 27, 2015 20:59:44 GMT -5 TrickyBob said:

Yah. I would wager they did it.
Chickens are exceedingly attracted to blood and if one gets a wound, chickens will peck it to death.

She could have also been the lowest of the pecking order as well.

She was the smallest. 

Fucking birds. I'll never love them the same way again.

[textbookcase]

I'm sorry

How hot is it there? We have random heat-related chicken deaths at least once a year, no matter how hard we try to keep them cool. Another on the long, long list of drawbacks to living in the desert.

[isabel]

Aug 27, 2015 21:16:10 GMT -5 @meepmeep said:

I'm sorry She might have just died and the others starting pecking at her after. Unless your H was greatly diminishing the description of the pecking damage, it doesn't sound like she was pecked to death. That is next level gory when it happens, and very unusual unless they're extremely crowded or stressed. Chickens do, however, drop dead of random viruses, infections, heat exhaustion, and age with little warning.

(heart) Thank you. I feel a little better thinking about it this way.

[isabel]

Aug 27, 2015 22:19:43 GMT -5 textbookcase said:

I'm sorry

How hot is it there? We have random heat-related chicken deaths at least once a year, no matter how hard we try to keep them cool. Another on the long, long list of drawbacks to living in the desert.

Eh, it's warm, but no warmer now than it has been the rest of the summer. Mid-90s today.